the problem with marxism and communism is that we live in a finite world. therefore resources must be rationed. with capitalism we ration those resources with money and the work required to earn that money. In crony capitalism/fuedalism we ration those resources by who you know and where you live/what connections and titles you have.

with communism and the concept that everyoneshould have equal outcomes the resources still must be rationed and therefore for everyone to have equal outcomes of a finite resource they must have the least amount possible to ensure the most have something. And it sets up the corrupting influence of the rationers to ration a little bit more to themselves and their family.

so those that want to make communism work needs to find a way to make our finite world infinite in resources. I doubt its possible. and after a while rationing takes on massive death camps as the rationers faced with more and more finite resources must limit the amount of people getting them.

The progressive coalition also has little to offer to the private sector small business community, which should be producing jobs as they have in the wake of previous recessions but have failed to do so this time

the writer really needs to read up on marxism. this isn’t about progress Obama and the dems are using straight up marxism here. they want to destroy the middle class and small businesses and instead make people need government. The idiots in the GOP are screwing things up by talking about the takers/moochers/low information voter. Most of the people on gov assistance don’t want to be on it. Sure you have maybe 20% die hard moochers but the rest dream of getting off food stamps, having their own job, providing for their family. the GOP should be using capitalism to fight the marxism being put forward by Obama and the dems. Instead the GOp proposes marxism lite.

You’re referring to Communism as practiced by the Soviets and China. Meanwhile there are numerous examples of marxism operating within liberal democracies all over Western Europe.

libfreeordie on December 28, 2012 at 11:37 AM

Sure. People belong to the government and do as they’re told. They live within the limits dictated by the elite. They’re told to be “green”, they’re told they can have no firearms, they’re told they must not do this or that, they’re told what speech is acceptable and they’re taxed to the limit.

They have the freedom to exist within certain limits and serve the state. Regardless of your romantic views of Marxism, it is nothing more than the enslavement of a populace.

Look at the US. There is now virtually nothing you can do that isn’t taxed, regulated or doesn’t require government permission. We do as our betters dictate or else.

Of course, the blues have one inestimable advantage: a perennially stupid Republican party and a largely clueless, ideologically hidebound conservative movement. Constant missteps on issues like immigration and gay rights could keep even disappointed minority or younger votes in the President’s pocket. You can’t win new adherents by being the party of no and know-nothing. You also have to acknowledge that inequality is real and develop a program to promote upward mobility.

Of course inequality is real. It has always and will always exist, because humans are unequal. “Programs” that attempt to reduce inequality inevitably end up producing more inequality, which might not otherwise have existed. The author of this piece acts as if the US hasn’t already spent billions and billions of tax dollars over 4 decades trying to reduce “inequality.”

The only real way to reduce inequality as much as possible is to liberate the market. In their defense the GOP House has put dozens of bills forth recently to try to do that, only to be shelved by Reid.